Reduced gravity & size

The Giant Whelk (Syrinx aruanus), the world’s largest snail, shells of egg case young and a larger juvenile which still retains the hatchling stage of the shell.Giant Squid (Architeuthis sanctipauli). Preserved specimen from Queensland Museum Collection. This example had been trawled off the South Island of New Zealand at a depth of 500m and was donated by UnderWater World to the Queensland Museum in 2008.It is possible for marine animals to grow so large compared to their land-living cousins because the forces of gravity are far less restrictive in the sea than on land, where animals’ body forms are largely limited by water pressure than by gravity. Giants of the Sea are our major marine icons, including breaching humpback whales, cruising whale sharks, or gliding manta rays. These animals seem like remnants of the days when huge dinosaurs ruled the land and their marine cousins, the ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, were common in ancient seas.